Time
One of the Foundational Forces of the Second-Generation Creation, that embodies the concept of a progression of influences, stimuli and responses, measured through a relational connection, in essence the measure of change which occurs through progression. It serves as a balance to its counterpart Space and is also considered complementary to the foundational force of Chaos. Nature Like other foundational forces, Time is one of the primal, underlying forces that shape all known reality, giving it its form and function and sustaining it in its existence. Also, like other foundational forces, Time is essentially a collection of physical laws, or aspects of reality that are integral to the very design of the Second-Generation Creation. Due to its primal and abstract nature, it is impossible to fully define in this context, but certain aspects of it can be understood at a most basic level. Fundamentally, time is the defining of change as measured through a progression, the ongoing, changing nature of all things that occur in sequence, or series, one of the defining factors of a spatial-temporal reality. It is the concept, or force, that gives progression and change to creation, allowing for any known element to undergo change, within and in relation to other elements of existence. The flow and direction of Time varies from one Universe, Dimension, Plane or region of Space to another. It is usually seen as a linear progression, where cause equals effect, a steady flow in a singular direction of a sequence of events, each following out of the previous. However, other possibilities exist within the Omniverse. Its nature can also be warped by localized phenomena such as Gravity Wells, Spatial-Temporal Distortions or other Sub-Space or Super-Space Phenomena. Time can also be distorted by artificial forces, developed and controlled by various species, usually as a way of developing a means of time travel. Time is perhaps the most inconsistant force of the known foundational forces, simply because there are so many different variations of its speed, direction and flow. It is known that the flow of time differs dramatically across most universes, even when it retains a linear progression. For some years might pass in one universe before a day in another. It is also known that the flow of time is not even uniform in one universe when compared to others, such that there are no simple calculations of compartive models that would define such differences. Time is also complicated by the fact that it remains the only foundational force known where travel 'through' it can lead to mass alterations within it. Since most flows of time contain a sequential component, one event leading to another, it has been shown that traveling through time and altering a past event changes the entire cycle. Since many of these changes are inter-related, an even miniscule change of sequence in the distant past, can lead to a completely different reality in the present. Balancing Relationship Time exists alongside the other foundational forces in a state of balance that is critical to the continued existence of creation. This state, often referred to as the Balance, is specifically what gives form and function to reality as it exists, and without it, all reality, as it is known and understood, would cease to exist. Time, specifically, balances the force of Space. Their relationship is such that many schools of science or thought actually use the three-dimensions of space, adding Time as a fourth-dimensional measure. The two co-exist in a form of mutual symbiosis, one directly needing the other. Space, in part, is defined by the constant motion, and exertion of a variety of forces resulting in movement through the three dimensions of space. Such movement, such interaction, obviously requires a progression of time, even if the smallest fraction of a second, in which to truly exist. Further it is this constant movement or progression that thus defines change, thus making time measurable. Complementary Relationship Most foundational forces are also described as having complementary relationships, and in such schools of thought, Time complements Chaos. Time being the force, or level of reality leading to progression, defining reality by a sequence of cause and effect, it is in a sense the 'playing field' that allows Chaos to act upon the nature of reality. Transformation and change can only take place on a level where there is a sequential progression to reality, a process of existing in time. Origins Time is one of the foundational forces that was brought into being with the first moments of creation of the construct known as the Primal Atom. That construct represented the first physical creation, and thus with its existence it wove into being the very nature of a progression of events and causal relationships, now existing and defined by that construct. Once the Primal Atom was detonated and the depths of the Void seeded with the primal matter of creation, the flow of time began, marking change and progression, throughout the broader Second-Generation Creation known as the Omniverse. Additional Resources *Category:Measures of Time *Contextual Measure of Time *True Measure of Time *Linear Progression for the most common flow of time *Time Travel for the complex science of moving through time *Wikipedia Article on Time Category:Encyclopedia Category:Glossary Category:Foundational Forces Category:Primary Source Articles